Abbott vetoes bills; feud with Patrick grows

By Editor | June 22, 2023

CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS

Gary Borders

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick claimed last week that Gov. Greg Abbott is sabotaging the Senate’s work because of their ongoing feud over which approach to property tax reform is best, The Dallas Morning News reported. Abbott vetoed three bills by Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, who has been Patrick’s point senator on increasing homestead exemptions in order to provide tax cuts. As of Friday afternoon, he had vetoed 31 bills.
Abbott has threatened a string of vetoes if the House and Senate can’t agree on a compromise on property tax relief. In each veto proclamation, Abbott has issued the following statement: “This bill can be reconsidered at a future special session only after property tax relief is passed.”
Patrick took issue with that. “The governor’s suggested threat today to veto a large number of Senate bills is an affront to the legislative process and the people of Texas,” he said.
Will the state’s electric grid hold this summer?
Much of Texas is in the throes of a sweltering heat wave, prompting concern that the electric grid will be strained as Texans try to keep cool. However, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the grid, predicts it will be able to handle forecast peaks in energy usage, the Austin American-Statesman reported.
The biggest factor is demand for air conditioning of homes and businesses, according to Robert Hebner, director of the University of Texas Center for Electromechanics.
The first official day of summer is Wednesday, June 21.
New law bans paper license plates
Temporary paper “dealer tags” will soon be a thing of the past after Abbott signed House Bill 718. The new law phases out the tags and requires dealers to issue $10 metal plates to buyers purchasing vehicles, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Paper Texas tags have been criticized by law enforcement officials for years, since they are easy to fake and often used on vehicles used to commit crimes. A report by KXAN in 2021 found that selling of fake Texas tags had become a $200 million illicit business.
The Department of Motor Vehicles has until December of next year to come up with a plan for creating and distributing metal plates to dealerships. The law itself goes into effect on July 1, 2025.
Distracted driving deaths on the rise
Distracted driving has killed more than 2,000 people in Texas since 2017, and the number of deaths attributed to it increased by 10% in 2022. Approximately one of every six crashes on Texas roadways in 2022 was attributed to distracted driving, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.
“Texting, adjusting audio or navigation systems, or scrolling on a social media site can wait until you’re safely parked,” said Marc Williams, TxDOT executive director. “We’re urging Texans to make the right choice and put the phone away.”
It has been illegal since Sept. 1, 2017, to read, write or send a text while driving in Texas.